• Beckman Coulter (Fullerton California) reported that it is the industrial partner in a two-year research project at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia) and Laboraf Diagnostica e Ricerca San Raffaele SpA (Milan, Italy). The research will seek to discover genetic signatures for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity-related hypertension. Beckman Coulter will have exclusive license to commercial application of the results, used to develop content for the company’s molecular diagnostics platform. “Molecular Diagnostics will be a key growth area for Beckman Coulter in the coming years. This collaboration provides an unparalleled opportunity to obtain additional content for our platform,” said Bruce Wallace, VP of Beckman Coulter’s Molecular Diagnostics Business Center. “The discovery of genetic factors for both CVD and obesity may lead to development of readily-accessible diagnostic tests that enable more rapid assessment, earlier treatment and preventive measures..” Researchers at the two organizations will share samples and results during the project. Beckman Coulter will work with the partners to develop research protocols and assays.

• BioSphere Medical (Rockland, Massachusetts), a developer of bioengineered microspheres to treat uterine fibroids and vascular malformations by a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure called embolotherapy, reported an agreement with DuPont Applied BioSciences (DuPont; Wilmington Delaware) to evaluate peripheral vascular and embolotherapy research and manufacturing projects. The agreement will combine BioSphere’s expertise in minimally invasive products for the endovascular field with the expertise of DuPont Applied, a business unit that includes DuPont BioMedical. BioSphere has agreed to make payments to DuPont of up to $500,000 based upon the achievement of specified milestones. All improvements developed under the manufacturing agreement will be owned by BioSphere.

• GE Healthcare (Princeton, New Jersey) reported an agreement with Draximage (Kirkland, Quebec), a division of Draxis Health (Montreal, Quebec), to become the exclusive distributor of Draximage’s Sestamibi imaging product upon its approval by the FDA and the expiration of the primary innovator patent. An abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Draximage Sestamibi was submitted by Draximage to the FDA in February and is currently under review. John Chiminski, president/CEO of GE Healthcare’s Medical Diagnostics division, said. “Our expertise in nuclear cardiology as the innovator of Myoview makes us ideally suited to make this new product available through our Radiopharmacy Operation that has the highest standards in the industry.” Technetium-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, which include Myoview (Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m Tetrofosmin for Injection), are used in about 90% of nuclear medicine studies performed to detect coronary artery disease. Over 8 million patients receive myocardial perfusion imaging each year, as the increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (heart failure) continue to contribute to disease progression. “Nuclear cardiology is a proven technology, and we’re confident that our partnership with Draximage will expand the access to and applicability of these procedures when and where they are needed. This agreement further demonstrates our commitment to nuclear medicine, through outstanding eadiopharmacy performance and the broadest product portfolio in the industry,” Chiminski added. Technetium-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, which include Myoview (Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m Tetrofosmin for Injection), are used in about 90% of nuclear medicine studies performed to detect coronary artery disease.

• HemCon Medical Technologies (Portland, Oregon) reported it has received exclusive rights to market and distribute the Simplified Automated Ventilator (SAVe) by AutoMedx (Germantown, Maryland) in the U.S. The device will be used by military personnel to supply resuscitation care injured soldiers on the battlefield. Now approved by the FDA for use, the SAVe was on display earlier this year at DARPATech, a conference for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense. The SAVe, created for use on the battlefield, uses a battery-driven pump to deliver air for more than five hours on a single charge. Using ambient air, the device does not require a compressed gas source, and at 3.1 pounds, the SAVe is lightweight enough for easy deployment to the battlefield. Most importantly, the device’s hands-free operation allows medics to attend to other injuries or further assist in an evacuation situation. Alarms warn of blockage, disconnect, low battery and temperature-related issues. These alarms are positioned on the device and can be discerned in a low-light, high-noise environment. The audible and visual alarms can be suppressed individually or together, depending on the soldier’s need to avoid detection. The SAVe is designed by AutoMedx and received FDA approval in September. HemCon also plans to distribute the SAVe in foreign markets under a non-exclusive agreement.

• Toshiba Medical Systems (Tokyo) and TomTec Imaging Systems (Munich, Germany) reported an agreement to deliver new tools for assessing cardiac 4-D data and a collaboration to make them more widely available. With the introduction of Toshiba’s Artida Cardiac 4D Ultrasound System, a variety of new 4-D capabilities were released. TomTec diagnostic workstations will be able to read Artida’s data providing increased customer options for image review and a host of new advanced applications. TomTec and Toshiba said their new systems are at the forefront of a push for clinical applications for cardiac 4-D ultrasound.